


Starry Night

by QvQ1526



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, PINING KEITH, Real Small, a teensy bit of angst, picnic under the stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 05:19:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13139889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QvQ1526/pseuds/QvQ1526
Summary: Keith spent days preparing. He wanted everything to be perfect for Lance, he wanted it to run smoothly. Now the time was here and his nerves were frazzled.





	Starry Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rainingooblah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingooblah/gifts).



> This is none other than a gift for a lovely friend of mine. I hope you enjoy lov! <3

“Deep breaths Keith. You can do this.”

Keith wanted it to be perfect, he had no clue what he was doing, all he knew was the end result needed to be perfect. He had bribed Pidge and Hunk to stay in the living quarters that night; Pidge had been heckling him the past few days about it, but Keith tried to not to let their teasing get to him. Keith had invited Lance down to the star deck with the excuse of a ‘new battle strategy’. Nice one Keith. He was nervous. The idea of Lance and him alone under the simulated stars was nerve wracking.

Keith stood under the dome, stars twinkling, casting a dim glow on the room. He has set up a full picnic set off to the side, illuminated by two small glow lamps he had found. The blanket had been laid with care on the ground and Keith had spent a few hours early in the morning to prepare this for Lance. The room was quiet, save Keith’s pacing and repeated sighs. The door slid open with a whoosh and in strode Lance, breaking the silence.

“Hey Keith! So what’s this about battle strategy? Had to run it past the team sharpshooter?” Keith nearly jumped out of his skin and turned to Lance. “Why isn’t Shiro here?”

He was wearing his pajamas with his signature lion slippers. Keith gave a quick fond smile before clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Uh yes. I wanted to show you, since you are an important member of Voltron.” Okay that was terrible. Lance looked at Keith with an unreadable expression but walked over and stood next to him looking up at the stars. “This is the new system we just gained allies in. Three planets are still under Galra control. My idea was to split and try to free all three planets at once, spreading Galra forces thin, before uniting to form Voltron and take them out.” It was a real strategy, one he hadn’t even spoken to Shiro about yet.

“Hmmm that could work. We could put Hunk and Pidge together, Shiro on his own, me and you together. Pidge has stealth and Hunk has strength, Shiro is a jack of all trades, and me and you have speed and agility on our side. Plus I can show you up finally.” Lance gave him a goofy smile and Keith could have sworn his heart sang. Lance was smarter than people gave him credit for.

Lance could be goofy, but he was so much more than that. He was the team’s support, the voice of reason when Keith got too emotional, the person who always cheered you up. When he and Shiro broken into Beta Traz, he had saved Shiro and Slav’s lives with a single shot. Lance was skilled and talented, you just had to pay close attention to the real him him, underneath all the showmanship. Not that Keith would admit to spending a lot of time focusing on Lance. Keith stood there, dazzled by Lance before he shook himself mentally and responded.

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking as well. We all raise hell and alert the Galra forces, then we all meet Shiro and form Voltron. It should be easier to attack if forces are spread thin.” Keith was nearly repeating what he said earlier.

“So….is that all you need from me?” Lance awkwardly shifted on his feet. “Does Shiro know about it?” he asked.

“N-no! No, not yet. I wanted your opinion first.” Keith responded looking over at the small picnic area he had set up. He face was red but he hoped Lance couldn’t tell in the dim light of the stars.

“Well if that’s all, this paladin needs….” Lance’s voice trails off as he followed Keith’s eye to the picnic set up. “Oh I see! I’ll get going…you’re expecting him, aren’t you?”

Keith stood there in shock. “Him?” he asked.

“Yeah, Shiro? This is for Shiro right? You wanted me to tell you if the plan was stupid before you pitched it to Shiro before wooing him under the stars. I get it man.” Lance gave him and playful nudge but his eyes looked a little sad.

Keith could barely get a word in before Lance turned to go. He quickly followed after Lance and gently grabbed his arm. “Wait, Lance!”

Lance refused to look at Keith, his body shaking as if he was laughing. Keith gently tugged on his arm until he turned. Lance’s eyes were puffy as tears silently rolled down his face. He quickly turned his face away again before wiping his eyes and giving a weak smile.

“I get it Keith. You and Shiro have been through a lot, he’s important to you and this team.” He pulled Keith’s hand off his arm. “I just hope that—." Lance didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Keith grabbed Lance and held him at shoulder’s length, his face red and his eyes panicked. “Lance it was for you okay! I set all this up for you! You idiot! Shiro is my friend!” Keith’s face got redder by the minute. “We’re nothing but friends! You’re the one I like, I set up this dumb picnic for you and you nearly run out on me.” He pulled Lance into a hug. “You idiot.”

Lance just stood still and motionless, his brain still trying to process Keith’s words as he loosely held Keith in his arms. “W-Wait….you did this…for me? Not for Shiro?”

Keith pulled away from Lance and simply grabbed his hand leading him over to the picnic blanket. Well it was a spare sheet, but it was all he had. Lance chuckled when he saw and Keith huffed in embarrassment.

“Hunk said you talked about missing the stars back home. So I had Coran calibrate the stars to match with Earth’s constellations. They aren’t the same but it’s the best I can do.” Keith looked away still avoiding meeting Lance’s eyes. What if he rejected him? He couldn’t face it and his anxiety grew as the silence lengthened. His could head his pulse racing and he felt short of breath. He didn’t mean for this to happen like this, not in some sudden declaration. He nearly drove Lance away. A few ticks later he felt Lance place a hand gently on his shoulder, bringing him back.

“Keith,” he called out gently. “Look at me.” Keith hesitated before turning, bracing himself for rejection. Who would want to be with him? He was a dropout. He always pushed others away, keeping them at a distance. Too close and they would see him for how he really was. A nervous, scared, and lonely person. He didn’t want their pity so it was better to never let them in.

“Keith you’re not looking at me.” Keith slowly moved his eyes up to meet Lance, his shoulders holding the weight of Lance’s hands. “There we are,” said Lance in a whisper. There was a gentle smile on his face, tear prickling his eyes.

Lance squeezed Keith’s shoulders and just looked at him, unacknowledged tears running down his cheeks. Keith was blown away. In Lance’s eyes there was such joy, relief, and love. He was venerable and so open, not hiding behind some façade or persona. He wasn’t “Loverboy Lance” or the “Ladies Man”, he was just Lance. There was nothing hidden in their depths. His eyes were as deep as the sea and shone just as blue and Keith felt like he was drowning.

“I-I..” Keith sputtered out, still entranced in Lance’s eyes.

“Sssshhh. Let’s go enjoy that picnic.”

“W-What?”

Lance chuckled and took Keith’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Hate for all that food to go to waste. I saw you working hard this morning on it.”

He saw him this morning? He thought he had been careful; he set an alarm so early not even Shiro would be awake. He even spent time waiting in the sleeping quarters to make sure no one was up before sneaking to the kitchen. Keith’s mind raced as Lance dragged him over to the picnic blanket. Keith had tried his best to make it look nice. The blanket was perfect arranged, the basket nearly placed in the corner, and the two lamps side by side, illuminating their space. Overall, the lamps created a soft glow that didn’t take too much away from the starlight.

“Keith? You did all this?” Keith nodded mutely, still trying to process things. “It’s lovely. Thank you.” Lance plopped down onto the blanket and Keith followed. He felt every inch of space between them and he wanted to move over and fill that space. Keith had spent so much time keeping these feelings to himself, with Lance next to him he wanted to be as close as he could.

“Yeah. Coran helped with the stars. But the food and the picnic idea. It was all me,” said Keith nervously fiddling with his hands.

“It’s perfect, the bed sheet picnic blanket really pulls it all together”

“Do you wanna see the stars or not?”

“Yes please.”

Lance scooted over and sat side by side with Keith, who could feel every point of contact between them. It was distracting and he nearly pressed the wrong button which would turn on the alarm system. Soon the star map they had pulled up disappeared and a moment later, the familiar stars that Lance missed dearly appeared. Keith could hear the minute gasp Lance let out as his eyes took in the constellations, which reflected back into his eyes. He was truly star struck, and Keith couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“You know.” said Lance not taking his eyes off the stars, “I used to watch the stars with my dad and he’s tell me stories about them. It was out tradition that every clear night we were free, we would head outside and watch the stars.” Tears began to fall down Lance’s face. “I just miss it….I-I miss him.”

Lance’s voice cracked and Keith not knowing what else to do gathered him in his arms, rubbing his back. Lance quietly sobbed, while Keith just held him, barely keeping it together himself. He remembers all those nights on the roof of the Garrison, alone under the stars silently staring at them, hoping to be among them someday. Look how that turned out. Now you’re a pilot of the universe’s strongest weapon. Keith had his regrets about his past but it lead him to finding a purpose, finding a family. And meeting Lance.

Though Lance would play rivals, he was a good balance for Keith. Keith knew he was impulsive and Lance knew how to think things through in a pinch. He would be there to say Keith was rushing things and that his plan would put himself or other people in danger. The entire team made Keith realize how valuable he was at a person, but Lance was his first real friend. Keith kept people at a distance and Lance was the first person to get past his walls. And as time passed Keith’s affections went from friendship to something more, which was even scarier. The fact that Lance was still here with him, opening up to him, still left him speechless. Lance pulled away and wiped his eyes, a weak smile on his face.

“Thank you Keith….I...I really appreciate this.”

“Y-yeah no worries. I just….wanted to do something nice for you….as teammates!” Keith rushed but he instantly regretted it as Lance’s face fell. “Or not, as uh….” His face grew red again and Lance gave him a mischievous smile.

“As what Keith?” His smile made it obvious he knew exactly what Keith meant.

“As you know…not friends...more...than that.” Every word was a struggle to speak and Lance just laughed before pecking Keith on the cheek.


End file.
